


Bad Dream

by Captorvating



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Edling Week, Edling Week 2019, M/M, gay rights! -edward elric, i know my tags r short but this is good i promise, im rlly proud of this, theyre fuckin! in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-16
Updated: 2019-06-16
Packaged: 2020-05-12 15:16:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19231720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Captorvating/pseuds/Captorvating
Summary: “Ling I’m really glad I met you and being your friend has made my damn life into an adventure. I really like you and I think you’re really cool and I was wondering if once this whole thing was over you’d maybe wanna go out on a date with me or something.”





	Bad Dream

“Hey Ling? Could you come with me for a sec?” Ed asks, his voice laced with anxiety. Ling looks at him and smiles as he nods. He gets up and together they exit the room, promising their friends that they’ll be right back.

They walk out of the building and to a small local park. Typically it’s full, but people don’t tend to visit at night. Ed points to a large fountain at the center of the park for them to sit. They do and Ling speaks up.

“This place would be a bit nicer if it were farther from the roads. Other than that the scenery is fantastic. Very romantic.” Ling grins and nudges Ed with his elbow. “Maybe you should take Winry here sometime!” Ed sucks in a breath and gives a fake grin.

“Yeah, I bet she’d love that, huh?” Ling nods.

“Well alright, Edward, what’s going on? Did you take me all the way out here just push me in the fountain or was there another reason.” He jokes. Ed looks away and rubs the back of his neck.

“Yeah actually, uh, I kinda wanted to tell you something.” He clutches his knees through his pants. “It’s uh- it’s kind of important? It’s nothing bad! Just… y’know something I gotta tell you.”

Ling blinks in surprise before grinning. “Oh! Sure, what is it, Edward?”

Ed gulps, but the knot in his throat stays firmly in place. He takes a shaky breath. “Well, Ling, I uh… I want to tell you something.”

“Edward.”

“Yeah?”

“You just said that.”

“Oh. Right”

Ed takes a deep breath and squeezes his eyes shut. He grips the fountain so hard his knuckles go white.

“ _Ling I’m really glad I met you and being your friend has made my damn life into an adventure. I really like you and I think you’re really cool and I was wondering if once this whole thing was over you’d maybe wanna go out on a date with me or something.”_

He blows through his confession all while never looking up. A few moments of silence pass before he cracks an eye open to see Ling’s reaction.

Ling won’t look at him.

A bead of sweat drops down Ed’s forehead as he grits his teeth in worry. He tries to swallow his nerves and opens his mouth to speak again.

“Edward.”

He freezes in place.

Ling takes a breath, rubs the back of his neck and turns away. “Listen I… really like you, but you’re my _friend._ You’re really cool and all, but I’m a prince and like, you’re… I’ll have fifty wives and a lot of responsibility and stuff. I don’t mean to be rude, but… did you really think… ?”

He can’t breathe. His chest freezes over and his heart drops to his stomach while his face burns in embarrassment.

“It’s just that- you know, my life is planned out for me. I mean- what would my father think if I came to the palace with a boy from a farm town? It’s not like I’d be taken seriously anymore.” Ling takes a breath and stands. “I’m really sorry and I hope you understand, but…”

“I guess I just... wasn’t enough.” Ed says solemnly. His voice is quiet, but it wavers with each word. Ling rubs his arm awkwardly and looks away. They coexist in a fog of tension so thick it could choke them both. To Ed it might as well.

After moments that felt like an eternity, Ed speaks up again.

“That’s fine. It’s not like you’re _required_ to like me back. Once this is all over you can head back to Xing and forget all about me and everything I said, ok? Hell, you can even laugh about this whole thing with Lan Fan if you want.”

“Edward…”

“You can go back to the hotel, I’m- I’m gonna hang out here for a bit longer. It’s nice here, very quiet, very-” his voice cracks, “ _romantic._ Who knows? Maybe I’ll take someone I like here.”

Ling flinches at the realization of earlier. He opens his mouth, but quickly decides not to push any further, slowly nodding. “I’ll take my leave.” He stands still for a moment longer then turns and walks back towards the hotel.

Ed stays quiet until he’s sure Ling’s gone. It doesn’t take him long to break down crying. Hot, fat tears flood his eyes and stream down his cheeks like rivers. He bites his fist to keep from whimpering in sorrow.

 _You fucking dumbass, of course he’d say no. You have nothing to offer, I can’t believe you even_ considered _confessing, let alone actually_ doing _it._

He bites harder and balls his automail fist. Tears course down with no sign of stopping.

 _Did you actually think you had a chance? He’s a fucking_ prince _for crying out loud! And what are_ you?! _Some stupid bratty kid that grew up in a damn farming town and tried transmuting his own mother?! No wonder he said no! You’re such a damn idiot!_

Skin breaks and the taste of blood fills his mouth yet he refuses to pull away.

 _How didn’t you know this would happen?! Of- fucking- course_ _he rejected you! It’s not like you don’t deserve this. Hell, you deserve this even more for even_ thinking _there was a possibility!_

Tears keep rushing down, showing no signs of stopping anytime soon.

_You’re so fucking stupid, I can’t believe it. You fucking dumbass, idiot, moron, loser, fuck up, alchemy freak, failu-_

“Edward, wake _up!”_

Face slick with tears and panic, Ed is yanked back into reality. His shoulders ache and his head pounds, his mouth hot with a metallic taste. He looks around to find Ling leaning over him, hands clutching his shoulders, probably where the pain came from. He swallows the knot in his throat (and probably some blood from biting his tongue in his sleep) and speaks,

“Ling? What’re you doing in my bed?” Ed scootches back up to the bed frame, wiping away at his wet face and eyes in the process. Ling leans back onto his knees, now across from Ed at the other end of the bed.

“Your window was open and I could hear something like muffled crying. When I poked my head in to check on you, you were sobbing, so I tried waking you.” The worried look stays, but relaxes slightly. “And now you’re awake and I’m sitting in your bed.”

Ed runs a shaky hand through his hair and nods. “Did I… I didn’t- I didn’t _say_ anything, did I?”

Ling rubs the back of his neck and hesitates before answering. “Not really? Nothing I could make sense of anyway… but, uh, are you doing ok?” The concern in his voice is apparent and clear.

“You’re- you’re not, uh, you’re not lacking? I mean like- you’re _enough._ You’re great and I can’t think of anything to contradict that.” Ling’s voice gets softer and quieter throughout his sentence. He looks nervous and Ed blinks in realization.

“ _What did you hear me say?”_

It comes out more as a statement than a question, a mixture of anger and worry lacing his voice. His blanket feels soft in his balled up fists. Ling quickly raises his hands and starts to explain.

“Nothing, really! Just small tidbits and such, nothing important! Just, uh, something about not being enough? I think I heard you say something that sounded like ‘Lan Fan’.” Ling’s voice wavers slightly at the name. “She’s- um, she’s great and would probably understand, but, uh… she’s a lesbian? So, I don’t think-“

“You think I like Lan Fan.”

The accusation surprises him, but he nods nonetheless. “Don’t you? I thought- with the way you look at her and you always talk about a long black haired fighter! Who else is there? I heard you say her name there’s no denying it!” It’s subtle, but the sound of pain struggles to leave his voice.

Ed looks up, glaring. “ _Ling._ I _don’t_ have a crush on Lan Fan, okay? You just misheard me I guess, get over it.” He rests his chin in his fist as he looks away. Ling huffs and crosses his arms.

“There’s nothing to get over. Who cares if you like Lan Fan? Not me.” Ed rolls his eyes in annoyance. “Pretty sure she’s interested in that mechanic girl, anyway, not that it’s _your_ business. She’d be nice about it, but she’d turn you down.”

Slamming his hands down on the mattress, Ed turns back to Ling. “I don’t fucking like Lan Fan, okay?! I _happen_ to like someone that can’t like me back. Someone that’s most likely going to forget I _exist_ once this is all over. Someone that’s sitting right in front of me and can’t take a damn hint to save his life!”

The room falls silent. Tension swirls around them, poking and prodding at them, picking and grabbing, Ed feels like he’s falling through the Portal of Truth again. Hands grabbing at him, knowing everything about him. Every secret, every fact, every opinion he has or has had. Vulnerable. That’s how Ed feels and he _hates it._

Ling blinks. “Oh.”

It feels just like his dream. His breathing feels uneven. Not panicky necessary, just not… smooth.

_Fluorine, uranium, carbon, potassium. Fluorine, uranium, carbon, potassium. Fluorine, uranium, carbon, potassium. Fluorine, uranium, carbo-_

“Well that works out great then!” His eyes snap up. Ling is smiling at him with his hands clasped together, a bright, but fair blush dusted across his cheeks.

Ed on the other hand is staring with widened eyes, a slack jaw, and a blush so bright that even his dark skin can’t hide it.

“ _What?”_

“Edward, I can assure you I won’t forget you when I return to Xing. You’re likely the least forgettable person I’ve met, everything about you is memorable! Your fighting style, your awful taste, your jacket, your hair, your eyes, everything! You’ve hardly got anything to worry about.” Ling says with ease.

Ed stares, something in his eyes. “... Really?” Ling nods. “Oh.”

Ling frowns. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just, uh-” He shakes his head slightly, “y’know, Al and I are looking into alkahestry to get our bodies back, so I was thinking maybe, uh.”

Ling’s smile returns, soft yet slightly smug. “Would you like to come back to Xing with Lan Fan and I?” Ed nods.

“Yeah, but before that, I know this nice park I’d like to take you sometime.”

  


**Author's Note:**

> edling day 1!! my tumblr is dabifucks if u wanna check it out!


End file.
